I had to read this for my civil liberties class. It was fairly dense, but I liked the way it read as a story. Definitely a great read if you are interI had to read this for my civil liberties class. It was fairly dense, but I liked the way it read as a story. Definitely a great read if you are interested in the civil rights movement in any capacity!...more
I've never reviewed a book written (or in this case, edited) by someone I've actually met before, so I'm kind of nervous, please don't murd dnf @20%
I've never reviewed a book written (or in this case, edited) by someone I've actually met before, so I'm kind of nervous, please don't murder me, Ken. ...more
Sweetbitter will always hold a special place in my heart, as it is the first adult novel I ever read. I very distinctly remember one day wa3.5 stars
Sweetbitter will always hold a special place in my heart, as it is the first adult novel I ever read. I very distinctly remember one day walking into the library and deciding that I was going to pick something from the adult section (at random, based on which covers appealed to me, naturally), and this one popped out at me immediately. It's still one of my very favorite covers, to this day.
I couldn't really recall a whole lot about the book, I remembered that the main character was a waitress and that there was a lot about wine. I remembered one very specific romance scene. I remembered enjoying it and proudly proclaiming it to be my favorite book if anybody asked. But since it's been a good 4 or 5 years since I've read it, I figured it'd be interesting to see how well it held up.
Tess moves to New York, and immediately lands a job at the City's most posh and famous restaurant. Throughout her time there, she sheds her innocence through intense wine expertise, casual sex, and lots and lots of cocaine. She latches onto a sophisticated senior server named Simone who is just a liiiittle too close to the love interest for Tess's taste.
Jake (said love interest), is... Well, let's just say that the second time around, I definitely didn't like him as much. I feel like this book is definitely romanticizing what I'm gonna call "Major Ass-Holery" or "MAH" for short. Jake is mean, and pretensions to boot. He throws Tess around, is rough with her physically and the Tess is like, "wEOew, this is so eDgy" and it's like- not really? It's just sad and weird? Aside from the fact that Jake is an asshole, I also could not tell you what he looks like. We know he has lots of tattoos and is mysterious looking. That's it, that's all we know.
I guess I didn't really like the main character all that much either, she was kind of plain and gave off serious "I'm not like other girls" vibes. She also romanticized what was clearly an abusive relationship, so I'm gonna have to dock points for that too.
The main things I liked about this book were the ambiance, I felt like I was there tasting the food, drinking the wine, walking the busy streets of Manhattan. The imagery was top notch, so maybe that's what stuck with me all these years.
Anyways- overall feelings: Meh. Cool setting, but Major Assholery- I've warned you. ...more
A woman in a swimming accident is rescued by a worker at a sharehouse resort and ends up working there (drama, awkwardness, Omg this was so cuuutte!!!
A woman in a swimming accident is rescued by a worker at a sharehouse resort and ends up working there (drama, awkwardness, and cuteness ensue).
This was such a fun short read! I thought all the characters were very adorable and the drama kept me hooked. My only complaint is that I felt like the series ended sort of abruptly and the epilogue didn't really give me what I needed, so I wish it ended differently. But otherwise, perfect if you're looking for a short slice of life manga with some steam <3...more
I was nervous about reading this at first because 90% of the people in my sphere have given it crap reviews so far, but I rather enjoyed it. The biggeI was nervous about reading this at first because 90% of the people in my sphere have given it crap reviews so far, but I rather enjoyed it. The biggest communal complaint is that it was, "boring."
Well, if you're going into this expecting it to be like, The Cruel Prince, then, yeah, you might be disappointed. It's no Folk of Air. But is that really a fair comparison? That's like if you're disappointed that 10 million dollars isn't 50 million dollars. It's still 10 million dollars.
Charlie is a con artist, and has been, ever since she was a small child. She lives with her sister Posey, who reads tarot cards, and her boyfriend, Vince (who's past is rather mysterious). The three live in a world where shadows can be separate magical entities from your body, to do your bidding. They.. drink blood? (Idk). People start approaching Charlie about finding this book, The Book of Night, which is said to have the secret to releasing shadows from their owners bodies, turning them human. Charlie doesn't want to get involved, as the book involves Lionel Salt, a sadistic old billionaire who killed Charlie's stepfather. But alas, she does, and along the way starts to unravel her boyfriends mysterious past.
I liked this, it was clever. Charlie is a top-teir heroine, and the magic world was cool. The love interest was smokin' hot. Holly Black is also a phenomenal writer, I just like reading her narration in general. And the con artist stuff, the flashbacks, also cool. 'Specially Alanzo. No you won't believe me, but I myself have pulled some Alanzo sh8t before so it was fun to read about.
Like I said though, it's no Cruel Prince. My main complaints are that, 1. I guessed the ending. 2. The magic world was interesting but CONFUSING and as a world that really only has like one magical thing and shouldn't be that complicated, I felt like it took me a lot longer to grasp than it should have. 3. I NEEDED MORE ROMANCE, maybe I have a problem (I high key can't make it through 80% of books if they don't have sufficient amounts of romance in them) but I felt like I could've used a little bit more umph in that department.
Also... is this a standalone or the first in a series? The ending felt very unsatisfying to me, so.. maybe it's a series?
Overall though, I enjoyed Holly Black's adult fiction debut, and I think everyone's giving it a bit of a hard time. Give it a chance and don't let the negative reviews deter you ❤️...more
I'll definitely be sending CoHo my therapy bill, because I think after reading Verity, I legitimately have PTSD.
After being in a tragic car4.5 stars
I'll definitely be sending CoHo my therapy bill, because I think after reading Verity, I legitimately have PTSD.
After being in a tragic car accident, Verity is unable to finish her bestselling novel series, and Lowen is asked to come on and "co-author" the rest of the series because Verity spoke so highly of her writing. Lowen comes to stay at Verity's house to go through her office and use her notes to work on the book, staying with Verity's husband and her son, Crew. The family is ridden with tragedy, both their daughters died extremely young at the hands of gruesome accidents. But when Lowen stumbles across Verity's disturbingly psychopathic unpublished auto-biography, she has to wonder- were they really accidents? Is Verity even sick?
As with most CoHo books, I ended up having some practical questions, but overall I was captivated by the writing and found this extremely hard to put down. I just wanted to know what was going to happen next so bad- did she kill that baby??!?? DID SHE????
On a scale of 1 to 10, the f8cked-Up-Ed-Ness was probably like a 15.
(In the imaginary sandwich shop/bookstore of my brain)
"Did someone order a big fat thickity thicc book with extra spice?"
*accidentally spills whole bo(In the imaginary sandwich shop/bookstore of my brain)
"Did someone order a big fat thickity thicc book with extra spice?"
*accidentally spills whole bottle of spice onto book*
"With.... extra extra spice?"
Because my oh my, what a sequel.
Mild spoilers up ahead if you have not yet read House of Earth and Blood.
Bryce and Hunt are trying to get back to relatively normal after saving the world from an onslaught of demons unleashed from the depths of Hel earlier in the year. After Bryce revealed her true heritage on a national stage, she's gotten a lot more attention than she bargained for, not all of it good, to say the least. She learns that the Autumn King has arranged a marriage between her and a fae prince (Who is also her cousin, ew).
Let's just say Bryce and her lightening super powered boyfriend are not exactly happy about that ...more
Misha and Ryen have been pen pals since 5th grade when their teachers accidentally paired them together because of a gender mix-up. They tell each othMisha and Ryen have been pen pals since 5th grade when their teachers accidentally paired them together because of a gender mix-up. They tell each other everything- hopes, dreams, fears. They fight about trivial things like pizza and console each other about serious things, like how their parents abandoned both of them at a young age.
One day, Misha accidentally runs into Ryen at one of his shows and is disgusted to learn that she's a prissy, popular brat, and nothing like the sweet, dorky nerd he's come to know and love in their letters. On the same night, Misha's sister dies of a heart attack, and after that point, he stops writing Ryen completely. He runs away and mysteriously shows up at Ryen's school under the name "Masen," keeping his identity from Ryen a secret to spite her. The rivalry between the two starts to become something more as they spend more time together.
I am going to preface this review by saying that I am giving this 5 stars purely from an entertainment standpoint. In the real world, when a girl says "stop," when you're getting hot and heavy, you stop. And you would never EVER tell a girl she's a "slut," or a horrible person, or dish her a whole slew of verbal and emotional abuse just because you think she "deserves it" for making a couple of mean jokes, or, "not being who you thought she was."
Honestly- as I write this, I feel like I should have hated this book for all of the problematic behavior mentioned above, and the BULLYING. Misha publicly humiliates Ryen several times throughout the book, using things she told him privately in her letters over the years against her to embarrass her in front of other people.
So- why did I like this? I loved Ryen, I thought she was such a complex and enticing character with a rich backstory. A mean girl who's only mean because she used to be on the other end of it, who's just doing what she feels she needs to do to survive? Yes. I am a little embarrassed to admit that this was me in high school, I don't think I was as mean as Ryen, but I definitely know the feeling of putting up with unwanted bullsh6t from guys and doing what you think you need to do to make people like you and make it out alive of the complete and utter h3ll hole that is high school.
That's another reason I loved this so much, the rich atmosphere of the setting, infused with drama and BULLSH5T, this book exposed high school for what it really is, and that is to say, completely sh7tty. I'm not judging you if you actually liked high school, I just distrust you very strongly if you think that it's supposed to be the best time of one's life.
I also absolutely adored the writing, the plot was fast-paced, dramatic, and twisty, and THE STEAM was sexy as all get out. Although, still, when a girl says no, it means no. Even if you think it's just because she's scared you're going to get caught having sex in a library, you should still probably get off her when she says, "I think we should stop."
Sigh. Oh, books.
So enjoyable, yet so problematic sometimes ...more
This book is disturbingly wack, but I was 100% here for the romance.
Dean is Cora's sisters' fiance. He and Cora hate each other, and always have, everThis book is disturbingly wack, but I was 100% here for the romance.
Dean is Cora's sisters' fiance. He and Cora hate each other, and always have, ever since high school. One night, too drunk to drive home, Cora calls Dean for a ride home, and the two end up getting carjacked and kidnapped by a serial killer.
Meet "The Match Maker" (Also known as "Earl.") He kidnaps pairs of people who hate each other and tortures them in his basement, raping the woman, and forcing the pair to have sex in from of him. He murders them both when he feels they have fallen in love, and gets off on torturing them in front of one another.
Dean and Cora experience unspeakable horrors at the hands of this serial killer and are held prisoner in his basement for 3 weeks before finally escaping. They struggle to return to their normal lives in the aftermath of their shared traumatic experience, and their relationship drastically changes as they fall apart and grow back stronger together.
I recently read The Mindf*ck Series, and I thought that since I liked that so much that I might want to dip my toe into the dark romance genre. I didn't like this as much as Mindf*ck, but I still thought it was pretty good.
The romance- while obviously a little toxic at times- was very good and extremely steamy, this might whole heartedly be some of the best smut I've ever read.
I was rooting for Dean and Cora. I got a little worn out sometimes with all of Cora's hot-and-cold-sex-but-nothing-else nonsense, but I definitely felt for her and understood where she was coming from with all of the abuse she suffered. Completely understandable.
My favorite part was when she adopted the serial killers' dogs, that was freaking iconic.
I guess the main reason I didn't give this 5 stars is because I was very mad at all of the other characters, and I felt that the lack of sympathy they had for Dean and Cora was a little unrealistic. I mean- if someone very close to you was kidnapped, raped, and tortured by a serial killer for 3 weeks straight, you would definitely not be like, "well, it's been like 2 weeks, you should be back to normal by now, you just need to get laid...more
Here is a compilation of all my reviews for each book in the series (:
The Risk (#1)
Wow, ok, I have found a new obsession!!!
You're probably lookingHere is a compilation of all my reviews for each book in the series (:
The Risk (#1)
Wow, ok, I have found a new obsession!!!
You're probably looking at this cover right now and thinking this is some really kinky smut or something, but it's not. I'm serious, there're only two sex scenes in the whole book.
Lana is a serial killer. (Yes, a lady serial killer (!!!)) She has a long list of abusers, and she's hunting each and every single one of them to get her revenge. Logan is an FBI agent. He's working on Lana's case, trying to catch the person responsible for all of these murders. They start dating and things get very very interesting.
I don't usually condone murder, but in this instance, I was totally rooting for our murderous baddy over here and she should just keep on doing her, because yes queen. Paint it red.
I did have some practical questions throughout the book, I know that Lana thinks she's going to jail eventually and just wants to live her life and has been lonely for a while, but I still slightly question her decision to be in a rather serious relationship with a freaken FBI agent, that doesn't necessarily seem very smart. I wasn't actually very surprised at the end of the book when (view spoiler)[ Logan's partner showed up at Lana's house demanding to know why she stole the identity of a dead person, (hide spoiler)] you kind of knew that was bound to happen at some point.
I loved when we finally found out Jake's relation to Lana, that was very satisfying and he can also Get It as well and I am here for his revenge streak too.
I honestly feel like there wasn't even really that much romance in this, which I genuinely didn't mind, the focal point is mostly the crime/thriller aspect.
I cannot wait for Lana to catch the Boogeyman by surprise and totally f*ck him up, I know it's gonna be nasty and I am 100% here for it.
Can't wait to read the next installment!! Happy reading <3
Sidetracked (#2)
UGGHH THE FRIGGEN CLIFFHANGER, EVERY TIME
Just like the first one, this was amazing. Lana and Jake do some digging on one of Logan's nosey colleagues and discover she was sexually abused by her stepfather, who they track down and murder.
After torturing him, ofc.
I'm don't think I'm a sadist, but I definitely don't mind all of these rapists and pedophiles getting all their fingers and d*cks hacked off.
Already starting Scarlet Angel, I swear I am not getting any work done for the next 2 days.
Lana Supremacy forever <3
Scarlet Angel (#3)
Ya girl Lana is back at it again, taking names, getting justice via cutting off the d*cks of rapists.
100% here for it.
She finally comes face to face with the Boogeyman and has her way with him, but things get a little complicated when one of Logan's colleagues sees the whole thing go down and essentially figures out that Lana is the Scarlet Slayer. Lana ends up confessing the whole thing to Hadley, who agrees to keep her secret because Lana killed her stepfather (who was a pedophile and a rapist). Meanwhile, Logan is revisiting an old case and believes that a man was wrongly convicted of being a serial killer to cover up something much more sinister.
In this book, we learn a lot more about why Lana's doing what she's doing, and why all those god damn awful bastards who ruined her life did what they did to her. Turns out Lana's father (view spoiler)[ was wrongly convicted as a serial killer, and the town took matters into their own hands, covering up all the rape/murder/attempted murder because they thought Lana and her brother were the spawn of satan or something ridiculous like that. (hide spoiler)]
As the series goes on, I'm becoming slightly more invested in the romance, but I still think all the badass vigilante sh*t is the main focal point of these books. I don't mind one damn bit.
Can I just say real quick though that I really feel like the covers are doing this series a disservice?? They're so smutty, which probably turns a lot of people away from the books, but the books are SO GOOD, and mostly not smutty.
Lana 4eva <3
All The Lies (#4)
Holy crap, I can't even- I can't even.
Kyle is a sick piece of f9ck and he got what he deserved.
I hope are Lana ends up ok, that was a rough ending ):
Paint It All Red (#5)
This is officially my new favorite thriller series of all time, WHAT AN ENDING to a very tumultuous and riveting story.
I was actually very surprised that I ended up loving this as much as I did. I'm usually very squirmy when it comes to rape and murder and all that jazz, but I feel like this was actually a very cathartic read, and even if you don't intend to, you sort of end up rooting for "the bad guy."
I was genuinely shocked when they revealed the original killer, I did not see that coming.
And can we talk about how Lana named her cat Bennett?? Fricken- adorable ; - ;
I'm glad everyone got the ending they deserved. The very end gave me chills though, I mean... Logan just- (view spoiler)[ kidnaps someone for Lana to torture and murder once a year??? (hide spoiler)]
Kinda creepy, but you do you boo.
I recently found out that S.T. Abby died and I am very sad because I am head over heels for her work, she will be missed ):
Adding this to my Amazon wishlist, happy reading <3...more
This is officially my new favorite thriller series of all time, WHAT AN ENDING to a very tumultuous and riveting story.
I was actually very surprised This is officially my new favorite thriller series of all time, WHAT AN ENDING to a very tumultuous and riveting story.
I was actually very surprised that I ended up loving this as much as I did. I'm usually very squirmy when it comes to rape and murder and all that jazz, but I feel like this was actually a very cathartic read, and even if you don't intend to, you sort of end up rooting for "the bad guy."
I was genuinely shocked when they revealed the original killer, I did not see that coming.
And can we talk about how Lana named her cat Bennett?? Fricken- adorable ; - ;
I'm glad everyone got the ending they deserved. The very end gave me chills though, I mean... Logan just- (view spoiler)[ kidnaps someone for Lana to torture and murder once a year??? (hide spoiler)]
Kinda creepy, but you do you boo.
I recently found out that S.T. Abby died and I am very sad because I am head over heels for her work, she will be missed ):
Adding this to my Amazon wishlist, happy reading <3...more
Ya girl Lana is back at it again, taking names, getting justice via cutting off the d*cks of rapists.
100% here for it.
She finally comes face to face Ya girl Lana is back at it again, taking names, getting justice via cutting off the d*cks of rapists.
100% here for it.
She finally comes face to face with the Boogeyman and has her way with him, but things get a little complicated when one of Logan's colleagues sees the whole thing go down and essentially figures out that Lana is the Scarlet Slayer. Lana ends up confessing the whole thing to Hadley, who agrees to keep her secret because Lana killed her stepfather (who was a pedophile and a rapist). Meanwhile, Logan is revisiting an old case and believes that a man was wrongly convicted of being a serial killer to cover up something much more sinister.
In this book, we learn a lot more about why Lana's doing what she's doing, and why all those god damn awful bastards who ruined her life did what they did to her. Turns out Lana's father (view spoiler)[ was wrongly convicted as a serial killer, and the town took matters into their own hands, covering up all the rape/murder/attempted murder because they thought Lana and her brother were the spawn of satan or something ridiculous like that. (hide spoiler)]
As the series goes on, I'm becoming slightly more invested in the romance, but I still think all the badass vigilante sh*t is the main focal point of these books. I don't mind one damn bit.
Can I just say real quick though that I really feel like the covers are doing this series a disservice?? They're so smutty, which probably turns a lot of people away from the books, but the books are SO GOOD, and mostly not smutty.
I will start out this review by saying, like I do in many of my CoHo reviews, that I have mixed feelings about CoHo books. I love them, I hate them. TI will start out this review by saying, like I do in many of my CoHo reviews, that I have mixed feelings about CoHo books. I love them, I hate them. There is absolutely no in between. It's either a 5 star book or a 1 star book. Sequels are pretty hit or miss too, and I was especially nervous about this one because It Ends With Us is one of my favorite books of all time. I was like, "what more could they possibly do with my favorite book?"
Full disclosure, I thought this was going to be a "fast forward 5 years" and they're all living happily ever after type deal where it's warm and fuzzy and nobody cries.
Just like the first one, this was amazing. Lana and Jake do some digging on one of Logan's nosey colleagues aUGGHH THE FRIGGEN CLIFFHANGER, EVERY TIME
Just like the first one, this was amazing. Lana and Jake do some digging on one of Logan's nosey colleagues and discover she was sexually abused by her stepfather, who they track down and murder.
After torturing him, ofc.
I'm don't think I'm a sadist, but I definitely don't mind all of these rapists and pedophiles getting all their fingers and d*cks hacked off.
Already starting Scarlet Angel, I swear I am not getting any work done for the next 2 days
Well... we're definitely getting into "kind-of-messed-up-not-gonna-lie" territory with this one.
I'm pretty sure the majority of this book is just EdwWell... we're definitely getting into "kind-of-messed-up-not-gonna-lie" territory with this one.
I'm pretty sure the majority of this book is just Edward and Jacob fighting over Bella. And the werewolves and the vampires fighting in general. Like- from what I remember, the werewolves are fighting the vampires, and then they're not fighting, and then they're fighting with the vampires against other evil vampires. And I guess- Bella is forced to choose between Edward and Jacob.
I'm really going to use the word "forced" very strongly here.
If you've been following my updates & reviews for this series so far, you'll notice that up until this point, I've categorized myself as "Team Jacob" (wolf emoji, heart emoji, etc, etc). Well, you can consider this review my official resignation from Team Jacob, because- no.
There's a certain level of utter nonsense I can handle when reading books like this one. Like, ok, the beginning of Bella and Edward's relationship is a little problematic with the whole watching her sleep thing and being 100 years her senior, but I can take most of that with a grain of salt. Honestly, Edward seems to be becoming slightly more functional as the series progresses, so I can kind of get on board with him and Bella being together.
Kind of.
But our boy Jacob over here is gonna be a no-go for me. He basically spends the whole book trying to "make Bella realize she's in love with him," and it's very very cringy and disastrous. She tells him the whole time that she just likes him as a friend and that she's in love with Edward, and he still just won't give up. Not like in an "oh, I'll wait for you forever," kind of way, but he kisses her without consent, and literally the whole time Bella is completely stiff and unresponsive and waiting for it to be over, and then when it's over, Jacob's like- "you didn't kiss me back ...more
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